Hard Problem of Logical Fallacies

The frustrating reality that identifying a logical fallacy in someone's argument does not automatically prove their conclusion wrong, nor does it validate your own. Fallacies are flaws in reasoning, not truth detectors. The "hard problem" is the temptation to use fallacy labels (e.g., "that's just an ad hominem!") as a rhetorical knockout punch, ending the discussion while providing zero substantive counter-argument. This reduces critical thinking to a game of fallacy bingo, where the goal is to spot errors rather than collaboratively pursue truth. A conclusion reached via fallacious reasoning can still be accidentally true, and a logically pristine argument can lead to a false conclusion if its premises are wrong.

Example: Person A: "We should fix the bridge. The engineer who designed it is a known liar!" Person B: "Ad hominem fallacy! Invalid argument, the bridge is fine." B has correctly spotted a fallacy (attacking the person, not the bridge's condition), but has done nothing to assess the actual safety of the bridge. The hard problem: Winning the logical battle doesn't win the factual war. The bridge might still be crumbling, but the conversation is now dead, replaced by a smug scorecard of who used logic correctly. Hard Problem of Logical Fallacies.

by Dumuabzu January 25, 2026

Hard Problem of Logical Fallacy Fallacies

Also known as the Fallacy Fallacy Problem: The self-defeating mistake of dismissing an argument solely because it contains a logical fallacy. This is the meta-error where calling out a fallacy becomes a fallacy itself (argument from fallacy). It assumes that if the reasoning is flawed, the conclusion must be false. This creates a logical trap where any critique can be infinitely regressed: "You used a fallacy to point out my fallacy, so your critique is invalid!" It turns discourse into a hall of mirrors where the act of policing logic destroys the possibility of communication.

Example: Alex: "Climate change is real because 99% of scientists say so, and you're a oil shill for denying it!" (This commits an appeal to authority and an ad hominem). Blake: "Ha! You used two fallacies! Therefore, climate change isn't real!" Blake has committed the fallacy fallacy. Alex's conclusion (climate change is real) is supported by massive evidence independent of their flawed reasoning. Dismissing the conclusion because of the poor argument is a critical failure. The hard problem: Spotting fallacies is easy; knowing what to do with that information without committing a greater error is the real intellectual work. Hard Problem of Logical Fallacy Fallacies.

by Dumuabzu January 25, 2026